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a single harvest.
Vintage Champagne is one in which all grapes used
have been harvested from a single year. There is no
law governing when a year is a vintage. Instead, each
house decides for itself whether it will produce a vintage
Champagne in any given year, though it is only produced
when the harvest is particularly distinguished. However,
in a good year, only a fraction of the total Champagne
made is declared as a vintage Champagne.
Cuvées de prestige Champagne is made from blends of
the most subtle wines. Most Champagne houses consider
their cuvées de prestige to be their top-end Cham-
pagne. Cuvée de prestige Champagne may or may
not be vintage and is typically aged for an extended
period of time.
Enjoying Champagne
Storing Champagne: Just like any other wine, Cham-
pagne is sensitive to temperature and light. For that
reason, it is typically bottled in a light-resistant, dark
green glass. Champagne should be stored between 40
and 60 degrees.
Chilling: Ideally, Champagne should be chilled to a
temperature between 40 and 45 degrees. This tempera-
ture can be attained by placing the bottle in a refrigerator
for a couple of hours or by placing it in an ice bucket – half
filled with ice, half with water – for 20 minutes.
Opening a Champagne Bottle: The trick to opening a bottle
of Champagne, while maintaining its integrity, is to avoid
“popping” the cork. Begin by scoring the foil around the base
of the wire cage. Then, carefully untwist and loosen the bot-
tom of the cage, but do not remove it. In one hand, enclose
the cage and cork while holding the base of the Champagne
bottle with your other hand. Twist both ends in the opposite
direction. As soon as you feel pressure forcing the cork out,
try to push it back in while continuing to twist gently until the
cork is released with a sigh.